CHARWOMAN’S THEFTS

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 45, 17 November 1925, Page 8

CHARWOMAN’S THEFTS

STRANGE ASSORTMENT. OF articles “OUGHT TO GET SEVEN - ’ - - YEARS”. By Telegraph- —Press Association Invercargill, November 16. Following surprising discoveries in a house in Esk Street, Invercargill, recently. a. woman named Annie Elizabeth Scott, alias Ethel Allen, appeared to-day in the Magistrate’s Court to answer twenty charges of a serious nature She was accused of the tUett of hundreds of articles, some of them rare and valuable, including 428 handkerchiefs, 78 pairs of gloves, jewellery, scores of tulip bulbs, men’s overcoats, shoes blouses, women’s underclothing, and clog collars. She was also charged with being a rogue and a vagabond. Senior-Sergeant Scandrett, prosecuting said that a constable had observed the woman at 12.30 one morning in a flower garden. He shadowed her and when he was questioning her she suddenly took off her boots and set off down the street. He captured her after a chase, and conducted her to the police station. Here she could not give a satisfactory account of herself, and further inquiries were made, which resulted in a constable searching her house. _ Evidence of identification of many ot the" articles was given by a number of persons. Most of the articles,, it was stated had been left in the Town Hall and the theatre were accused was employed as a charwoman. In evidence, the accused said that she had been working as a charwoman at the Town Hall ’ for 13 years, and had found manv of the articles after dances and similar functions. She thought that most of the articles had been abandoned. She also stated that she had £4OO in a bank and was saving up in order to get home to Australia. “Reallv,” remarked the Magistrate (Mr. G. ’ Cruickshank), "she ought to get seven years’ imprisonment, but there is no reason why she should not be heavilv fined.” She was fined a total of £5O, with £26 10s. in costs and witnesses’ expenses. On’ the charge of being a rogue and a vagabond she was convicted and . ordered to come up for sentence, but is not to be called upon if she leaves New Zealand by January 21.